Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Business management'

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Navy Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) lacks a business process framework for the development of Business Continuity Management (BCM) plans. In the event business processes are deprived of automation for a prolonged period of time, the NAVSUP enterprise requires alternative methods to maintain the delivery of these products and services produced by these processes with minimum customer disruptions and financial losses. The purpose of this study was to review existing methodology to assess mission criticality of NAVSUP products and services and associated business processes. The analysis will lead to the development of a BCM plan and the associated information flow applied against a single Navy supply chain segment, Re-Engineered Maritime Allowance Development (ReMAD). This analysis will include recovery time and recovery point objectives. ReMAD and ERP interfaces as well as the ReMAD contingency plan will provide a context to lean on for the development of a business process framework for the plan. Currently, the ReMAD contingency plan’s system recovery timelines and recovery point objectives are not sufficient to continue with the processing of Maritime allowances.

The main objective of this thesis is to map some of the business process management, business process reengineering methodologies and compare it according to several criteria. Part of this thesis is survey of the state of business process management in Czech Republic and Hungary.

Business-driven IT management (BDIM) aims at ensuring successful alignment of business and IT through thorough understanding of the impact of IT on business results, and vice versa. In this dissertation, we review the state of the art of BDIM research and we position our intended contribution within the BDIM research space along the dimensions of decision support (as opposed of automation) and its application to IT service management processes. Within these research dimensions, we advance the state of the art by 1) contributing a decision theoretical framework for BDIM and 2) presenting two novel BDIM solutions in the IT service management space. First we present a simpler BDIM solution for prioritizing incidents, which can be used as a template for creating BDIM solutions in other IT service management processes. Then, we present a more comprehensive solution for optimizing the business-related performance of an IT support organization in dealing with incidents. Our decision theoretical framework and models for BDIM bring the concepts of business impact and risk to the fore, and are able to cope with both monetizable and intangible aspects of business impact. We start from a constructive and quantitative re-definition of some terms that are widely used in IT service management but for which was never given a rigorous decision: business impact, cost, benefit, risk and urgency. On top of that, we build a coherent methodology for linking IT-level metrics with business level metrics and make progress toward solving the business-IT alignment problem. Our methodology uses a constructive and quantitative definition of alignment with business objectives, taken as the likelihood – to the best of one’s knowledge – that such objectives will be met. That is used as the basis for building an engine for business impact calculation that is in fact an alignment computation engine. We show a sample BDIM solution for incident prioritization that is built using the decision theoretical framework, the methodology and the tools developed. We show how the sample BDIM solution could be used as a blueprint to build BDIM solutions for decision support in other IT service management processes, such as change management for example. However, the full power of BDIM can be best understood by studying the second fully fledged BDIM application that we present in this thesis. While incident management is used as a scenario for this second application as well, the main contribution that it brings about is really to provide a solution for business-driven organizational redesign to optimize the performance of an IT support organization. The solution is quite rich, and features components that orchestrate together advanced techniques in visualization, simulation, data mining and operations research. We show that the techniques we use - in particular the simulation of an IT organization enacting the incident management process – bring considerable benefits both when the performance is measured in terms of traditional IT metrics (mean time to resolution of incidents), and even more so when business impact metrics are brought into the picture, thereby providing a justification for investing time and effort in creating BDIM solutions. In terms of impact, the work presented in this thesis produced about twenty conference and journal publications, and resulted so far in three patent applications. Moreover this work has greatly influenced the design and implementation of Business Impact Optimization module of HP DecisionCenter™: a leading commercial software product for IT optimization, whose core has been re-designed to work as described here.

No business can effectively be managed without the proper management and information that reflects and creates the milieu it operates in. Business performance management creates the framework in which a structured approach can be followed in setting the scene for a predictive and controllable environment. Business intelligence creates the information structures; information relationships and a reflection of the value chain of the business. By combining the two methodologies it creates a total business solution that harmonises all aspects of value creation in an objective manner. The aim of this study is to conduct a thorough theoretical study on the relevant aspects involved in business performance management and business intelligence, and to assess the relationship of business performance management and business intelligence within the South African natural resource' mining and manufacturing sector. The various processes of business performance management and business intelligence are discussed in the literature study. During the literature research several approaches to business performance management implementations and the pros and cons of business performance management are discussed. A broad look at business intelligence is done, with key focus on delivering of information.
Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Abstract Although the need for change was recognized a couple of decades ago, the construction industry is still struggling with its productivity development and customer satisfaction. Usually, construction improvement initiatives focus on developing practices related to project management and delivery processes. However, this study views the general underperformance of the industry from the perspective of how the construction business is managed and conceptualized in practice. The objective of this thesis is to understand the role of business models in construction business management. This objective is pursued by addressing specific research questions in four individual publications, two of which contribute to the research objective from a more conceptual and two from a more empirical viewpoint. The exploratory study follows the qualitative research tradition and exploits the case study approach. The primary method for data collection has been interviews. This study demonstrates the applicability of the business model concept to the analysis and development of the construction business. However, its use requires a comprehensive understanding of the concept and proper alignment of its elements in practice. The results of this study indicate that the current business models of construction companies are too similar to enable value-based competition. Indeed, the conventional business models neglect the customer perspective and thus revolve around internal efficiency rather than customer value creation. Consequently, construction businesses are usually managed on a project-by-project basis without the governing effect of specific customer-oriented business models and a clear long-term vision or business purpose that would go beyond the objectives of growing and surviving. A better understanding of business models provides a starting point for managers to reform the construction business and the whole industry. Explicitly defined business models provide a foundation for consistent management practice and process development. New possibilities for customer value creation can be exploited as the limitations of the current thinking are overcome and business models are approached from the viewpoints of the customer and value creation
Tiivistelmä Rakennusalalla on edelleen vaikeuksia tuottavuuden kehittämisen ja asiakastyytyväisyyden parantamisessa, vaikka tarve muutokseen tunnistettiin jo pari vuosikymmentä sitten. Yleensä alan kehityshankkeet kohdistuvat projektien johtamiseen ja projektitoimituksiin liittyviin käytäntöihin. Tässä tutkimuksessa rakennusalan yleisesti heikkoa suorituskykyä tarkastellaan kuitenkin liikkeenjohdon näkökulmasta eli miten rakennusyrityksiä johdetaan ja miten liiketoiminta käsitteellistetään käytännössä. Väitöskirjan tavoitteena on ymmärtää liiketoimintamallien roolia rakennusliiketoiminnan johtamisessa. Tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi vastataan neljään tutkimuskysymykseen erillisten osajulkaisujen avulla. Kaksi näistä julkaisuista edistää ymmärrystä liiketoimintamallien roolista enemmän käsitteellisestä näkökulmasta ja kahdessa korostuu empiirinen näkökulma. Tutkimus on toteutettu laadullisena tutkimuksena, jossa hyödynnetään tapaustutkimusta. Aineistonkeruu on pääosin tehty haastatteluin. Tämän tutkimuksen mukaan liiketoimintamallikonsepti soveltuu myös rakennusliiketoiminnan analysointiin ja kehittämiseen. Tämä kuitenkin edellyttää liiketoimintamallikonseptin laaja-alaista ymmärrystä ja sen elementtien asianmukaista yhteensovittamista myös käytännössä. Tutkimustuloksista voidaan päätellä, että nykyiset liiketoimintamallit, joiden mukaan rakennusyritykset toimivat, ovat liian samankaltaisia soveltuakseen arvoperusteiseen kilpailuun. Nämä tavanomaiset liiketoimintamallit eivät sisällä asiakasnäkökulmaa ja täten ne keskittyvät etupäässä sisäiseen tehokkuuteen asiakasarvon tuottamisen sijasta. Näin ollen rakennusliiketoimintaa johdetaan yleensä projektiperusteisesti ilman, että päätöksentekoa ohjaisi määritellyt asiakassuuntautuneet liiketoimintamallit, selkeä pitkäntähtäimen visio tai kasvu- ja eloonjäämistavoitteita pidemmälle asetettu päämäärä. Liiketoimintamallien parempi ymmärrys antaa lähtökohdan rakennusliiketoiminnan ja koko alan uudistamiseen. Selkeästi määritellyt liiketoimintamallit luovat perustan liiketoiminnan johdonmukaisuudelle ja prosessien kehittämiselle. Monia huomiotta jääneitä arvonluonnin mahdollisuuksia voidaan puolestaan hyödyntää, kun vältetään takertumasta vallalla olevan ajattelutavan rajoitteisiin ja suunnitellaan liiketoimintamallit toimiviksi arvonluonnin ja asiakkaan näkökulmista

The purpose of this study was to determine the key factors involved in operating a successful independent management consulting business. For those working in the independent management consulting industry or looking to begin, this study aimed to provide information to help define what success means and identify the most important contributors to achieving that success. The study gathered data via online survey and semi-structured interviews from people who have owned an independent management consulting business. Trends in the data were identified and compared with current research to determine the key factors in operating a successful independent management consulting business.

Separation of concerns has long been considered an effective and efficient strategy to deal with complexity in information systems.One sort of concern, like security and privacy, crosses over other concerns in a system. Such concerns are called cross-cutting concerns.As a result, the realization of these concerns is scattered through the whole system, which makes their management difficult. Aspect Orientation is a paradigm in information systems which aims to modularize cross-cutting concerns.This paradigm is well researched in the programming area, where many aspect-oriented programming languages have been developed, e.g., AspectJ.It has also been investigated in other areas, such as requirement engineering and service composition.In the Business Process Management (BPM) area, Aspect Oriented Business Process Modeling aims to specify how this modularization technique can support encapsulating cross-cutting concerns in process models.However, it is not clear how these models should be supported in the whole BPM lifecycle.In addition, the support for designing these models has only been limited to imperative process models that support rigid business processes.Neither has it been investigated how this modularization technique can be supported through declarative or hybrid models to support the separation of cross-cutting concerns for flexible business processes. Therefore, this thesis investigates how aspect orientation can be supported over the whole BPM lifecycle using imperative aspect-oriented business process models. It also investigates how declarative and hybrid aspect-oriented business process models can support the separation of cross-cutting concerns in the BPM area.This thesis has been carried out following the design science framework, and the result is presented as a set of artifacts (in the form of constructs, models, methods, and instantiations) and empirical findings. The artifacts support modeling, analysis, implementation/configuration, enactment, monitoring, adjustment, and mining cross-cutting concerns while supporting business processes using Business Process Management Systems. Thus, it covers the support for the management of these concerns over the whole BPM lifecycle. The use of these artifacts and their application shows that they can reduce the complexity of process models by separating different concerns.
Att separera angelägenheter har länge ansetts som en effektiv och ändamålsenlig strategi för att hantera komplexitet i informationssystem. Sådana angelägenheter, till exempel säkerhet och enskildhet, kan skära tvärs över andra angelägenheter i ett system, och de kallas därför övergripande angelägenheter. Hanteringen av dessa kan vara utspridda genom hela systemet, vilket ökar komplexiteten. Aspektorientering är ett paradigm som syftar till att modularisera övergripande angelägenheter. Detta paradigm är väl utforskat i programvaruområdet, där många aspektorienterade programmeringsspråk utvecklats. Paradigmet har också undersökts i andra områden som kravhantering och tjänstesammansättning. I ärendehanteringsområdet (BPM) syftar aspektorienterad processmodellering till att inkapsla övergripande angelägenheter i processmodeller. Det är dock inte klart hur dessa modeller bör stödjas i hela ärendehanteringslivscykeln. Dessutom är existerande stöd för att utforma dessa modeller begränsat till tvingande processmodeller som enbart stödjer rigida affärsprocesser. Det har inte heller undersökts hur denna modulariseringsteknik kan stödjas genom deklarativa eller hybridmodeller för att hantera separation av övergripande angelägenheter för flexibla affärsprocesser. Därför undersöker denna avhandling hur aspektorientering kan stödjas i hela ärendehanteringslivscykeln med hjälp av tvingande aspektorienterade affärsprocessmodeller. Den undersöker också hur deklarativa och hybridaspektorienterade affärsprocessmodeller kan stödja separation av övergripande angelägenheter i BPM-området. Avhandlingens resultat bygger på designvetenskaplig forskning, och de presenteras som en uppsättning av artefakter (i form av konstruktioner, modeller, metoder och instansieringar) och som empiriska iakttagelser. De framtagna artefakterna stödjer modellering, analys, genomförande, konfiguration, övervakning och modifiering av övergripande angelägenheter i affärsprocesser. Artefakterna erbjuder stöd för hantering av dessa angelägeheter för hela ärendehanteringslivscykeln. Användningen av dessa artefakter och deras tillämpningar visar att de kan minska komplexiteten i processmodeller genom att separera övergripande angelägenheter.

The absence of adequate crisis management strategies in small firms could result in a premature small business closure. A qualitative multiple-case study was used to explore the crisis management strategies that 3 small business owners have used to survive an unexpected operational interruption. The small business owners in this study were from different industries in the southeast region of the United States and each owner owned a business for more than 5 years and had survived at least a single crisis. The theory of crisis management and crisis intervention theory were the conceptual frameworks for this study. Data collection occurred through semistructured face-to-face interviews with small business owners; observations; and a review of company documents comprised of business plans, insurance policies, floor plans, and emergency exit routes. Data were thematically analyzed and then triangulated to ensure trustworthiness of interpretations. The findings included 3 emergent themes: the importance of developing survival strategies; transparency, open communication, and relationship building; and creative thinking as a survival strategy. Recommendations for action include securing adequate insurance coverage, investing in a worker's compensation policy, and maintaining transparent and fluent communications with vendors and consumers. Small business owners who implement survival strategies may contribute to positive social change by continuing to create employment opportunities that improve economic conditions in local communities.

Business Process Management (BPM) has emerged as a popular management approach in both Information Technology (IT) and management practice. While there has been much research on business process modelling and the BPM life cycle, there has been little attention given to managing the quality of a business process during its life cycle. This study addresses this gap by providing a framework for organisations to manage the quality of business processes during different phases of the BPM life cycle. This study employs a multi-method research design which is based on the design science approach and the action research methodology. During the design science phase, the artifacts to model a quality-aware business process were developed. These artifacts were then evaluated through three cycles of action research which were conducted within three large Australian-based organisations. This study contributes to the body of BPM knowledge in a number of ways. Firstly, it presents a quality-aware BPM life cycle that provides a framework on how quality can be incorporated into a business process and subsequently managed during the BPM life cycle. Secondly, it provides a framework to capture and model quality requirements of a business process as a set of measurable elements that can be incorporated into the business process model. Finally, it proposes a novel root cause analysis technique for determining the causes of quality issues within business processes.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the business management process for small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) and to develop an automated product management system for integrated business processing. Due to the relatively small scale of operation of these companies, they experience difficulties in applying readily available tools in the area of product management. The target of the analysis is to develop a prototype software system for automatic product management. Moreover, this software developed for this thesis is applied to a real business case---that of Inshore Fisheries, a small scale integrated fishing operation in Atlantic Canada. The system consists of six components that are grouped into two categories of input and output analysis. The Input category includes production operations and customer ordering. The Output category includes four performance reports: (1) order invoices, (2) production worksheets, (3) inventory tracking, and (4) periodic income statements. The entire system is implemented using Visual Basic 6.0. The database is designed using Microsoft Access. The four performance reports in the output are designed using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Furthermore, a GUI integrates all components together to form a complete business processing system. Based on the results of the application of this system to Inshore Fisheries, this software solution can be applied to other SMEs by making specific modifications but without revising the basic principle and system design of the software system. This system possesses a great amount of flexibility and extendibility for practical business process decision-making.

Business Process Management (BPM) is management technique which seeks to constantly innovate business processes to improve customer service while reducing costs. It is introduced into organisations alongside software called Business Process Management Systems (BPMS). BPM monitors and measures processes to find opportunities for improvement of these processes. The system enables the capture of business processes by rendering them as process models; these are used to link to information, to deliver this information to staff, to automate tasks where possible, and to turn tasks into work flows which appear on manager's and staff's desktops as 'to do' lists. This thesis presents a case study of the implementation of BPM and a BPMS into a large insurance company in New Zealand. The initial research objective was to identify critical success factors (CSF's) for BPM and use Action Research (AR) in conjunction with ethnography to track the presence of the CSF's and to develop strategies to compensate for any lack in CSF's. The pilot BPM project in the organisation was successful, although it did require radical change in the business unit. However, the BPM project failed to embed BPM techniques in the rest of the organisation and was ultimately cancelled. At this point the research objective shifted to understanding the forms of power and resistance that had emerged over the course of the implementation. To understand these, a theoretical framework was developed with Rescherian process philosophy as its ontological foundation and Foucauldian concepts of power/knowledge as its epistemological foundation. The axiological foundation is that the self-formed in this processual reality is formed in the grid of power relations in which it is situated. The key findings of the research are that the concepts of culture and values are not sufficient to explain the forms of resistance that emerge when BPM and its associated Information Systems (IS) are implemented. Instead, a processual analysis using Foucauldian concepts of power and resistance proved to be a richer and more explanatory framework. This analysis found that the insurance industry is a technique of bio-power. This form of power relies on techniques of pastoral power to produce ethical, self-regulating, risk-managing subjects, both consumers and suppliers of risk mitigation products. These subjects are seen as self-governing, guided by conscience, and capable of unique responses to situations so that the manager is primarily a coach. BPM, on the other hand, is a technique of disciplinary power which produces disciplined, docile, utile subjects. These subjects are seen as requiring the three elements of hierarchical observation, normalising judgment and examination to ensure productivity and quality so that the manager is primarily an enforcer. These two forms of managerial subjectivity are opposed so that the introduction of the form of disciplinary power relations required by BPM generated resistance from the existing predominant forms of pastoral power. Ultimately this predominant form of power successfully resisted the introduction of disciplinary power. I suggest that this framework may prove useful for predicting resistance in future BPM projects.

This research develops a better understanding on how large-scale and complex IT-enabled business transformations are managed. Evidence from three global case studies suggest that business transformations can be composed and orchestrated like a jazz band, where improvisation plays a fundamental role to maintain the melody, harmony and rhythm of such initiatives. The thesis details how the jazz metaphor can assist senior management on how to reuse and reconfigure capabilities as services for transforming organizations. To the academic body of knowledge, the thesis provides a study on the use of management services as a theoretical lens to examine Business Transformation Management.

Thesis (Master of Business Administration)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2005.
Thesis Advisor(s): Nancy Roberts, Richard L. Dawe. Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-208). Also available online.

The aim of this thesis is to use qualitative research to investigate and analyse how human resource risks are understood and managed in practice and how to efficiently manage HR risk in a cost effective way. The research – adding to a very limited corpus in the literature – was conducted in public sector organisations in the UK. The author argues that HR risk management should be conducted in a systematic way. The Managing HR risk framework proposed in this thesis could be used as a practical guide to enable HR practitioners to manage HR risk more effectively. The thesis finds that, in order to effectively manage HR risk, a culture change is required at both HR department and organisational level; the prevailing risk averse culture should change to a more flexible, strategically-focused and less formalised process. From the analysis of case studies, the author notes that HR practitioners should be aware of their position in a HR conflict; they need to be neutral, fair, and supportive during the process of managing HR risks. It is concluded that qualitative factors will influence the process of managing HR risk such as power, organisational culture, management style and skills/competencies… It further suggested that organisational isomorphism learning enables organisations to learn from past experiences, and to improve HR risk management. It also recommended that simulations offer an excellent vehicle for improving the process of managing HR risk by equipping HR practitioners with the right skills and experience. Through the analysis of the results of interviews, two valuable case studies, and simulation, this thesis offers new directions for the future research of human resource risk management: Simulation could be used to help HR practitioners to improve the ways of managing HR risk, simulation use real-life cases for training to improve players’ or decision makers’ understanding of holistic events, and apply new skills, attitudes in practice.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2007.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There is a growing need for a framework that explains the important steps in creating and managing a small business in a very simplistic, flexible and holistic way. The aim of this research report is to design a framework which will guide the entrepreneur and small business owner in the set-up and management of a small business. The research report explores the logic of constructing the framework. It starts with the core business transactions which justify the existence of the business. For a better understanding of the interactions in the transactions, a system approach is followed. Dynamic complexities focus on causality and feedback to describe how entities influence each other. A growth loop is established with a balancing loop. On the basis of these interactions the framework is constructed with the product and the market on opposite sides. From the product there are growing actions in the form of marketing. From the market a condition is created which is measured in financial terms. These interactions are the core of the framework. A second level is added with strategic intent and external analysis to indicate direction and to measure the market's response. The research report continues to describe the development of a small business in terms of the three layers of the framework: transaction, basic business level and extended business level. The transaction indicates the core and the reason for the business's existence. It is a description of the value exchange process. The basic business level is the platform in which the business is operating. The extended business level is how the platform is used. For each of the entities indicated on the framework an existing business model is used to explain the area. The framework is, therefore, not presenting a new model, but only a new way of how existing business models are related to each other. The framework can be used in various ways. First it can be used to establish a startup business by building it step by step from the inner layer to the outer layer. Secondly it can be used to evaluate an existing business. Each part of the business can be evaluated and determine whether the necessary structures are in place. Thirdly it can be used for a turn-around on a struggling business. To do it means first . to evaluate the business and then use the framework to build the business structure. To assist in this process of evaluation and building a business structure, a set of worksheets are presented in the study to help an entrepreneur to think through every important step of the business. To test the above assumption that the framework can support the construction of a business structure, a small business was selected and evaluated. The evaluation was done in the format of an interview with the owners and the structure of the framework was followed. The study is concluded with recommendations on areas that need further research. The worksheet I guideline recommendation is that the worksheets and guidelines be developed with a specific aim in mind, for example design a new business or evaluate an existing business. The application recommendation is to explore the use of a rating system to do a quick evaluation of the business based on the entrepreneur's "gut feeling". The structural recommendations are first to explore strategic mapping to summarise the results of the design or evaluation into an existing model. The second recommendation is to investigate the development of the different entities in the framework in line with the business life cycle and thereby adding a depth dimension to the framework.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar is 'n groeiende behoefte na 'n raamwerk wat die belangrike stappe om 'n klein besigheid te skep en te bestuur, in 'n baie simplistiese, buigsame en holistiese manier verduidelik. Die doel van die navorsingsverslag is om 'n raamwerk te ontwerp wat die entrepreneur sal lei in die opstel en bestuur van sy besigheid. Die navorsingsverslag gee aandag aan die logika hoe die raamwerk saamgestel word. Die raamwerk bestaan uit die kern besigheidstransaksie wat die bestaan van die besigheid regverdig. Om die interaksies in die transaksie beter te verstaan, word 'n stelselbenadering gebruik. Dinamiese kompleksiteite fokus op oorsake en die terugvoer hoe verskillende entiteite mekaar beinvloed. 'n Groeiende sirkelaksie en 'n uitbalanserende sirkelaksie word gevolg. Op grond van hierdie interaksies is die raamwerk geskep met die produk en die mark aan teenoorgestelde kante. Van die produk is daar 'n groeiende aksie na die mark in terme van bemarking. Van die mark is daar 'n terugvoeraksie na die produk in terme van finansiele maatstawwe. Hierdie inleraksies vorm die kern van die raamwerk. 'n Tweede vlak word bygevoeg in die vorm van strategies voorneme en eksterne analise om rigting aan te toon en die mark terugvoer te meet. Die navorsingsverslag gaan voort om die ontwikkeling van 'n klein besigheid te beskryf in terme van die drie vlakke: transaksie, kern besigheidvlak en uitgebreide besigheidvlak. Die transaksie toon die kern en die rede vir die besigheid se bestaan aan. Dit is die beskrywing van die waarde uitruilingsproses. Die kern besigheidsvlak is die platform waarop die besigheid funksioneer. Die uilgebreide besigheidsvlak is die manier hoe die besigheid die platform gebruik. Vir elk van die entileite wat in die raamwerk aangetoon word, word 'n bestaande besigheidsmodel gebruik om die detail te verduidelik. Die raamwerk moet daarom nie gesien word as 'n nuwe model nie, maar net as 'n manier hoe bestaande besigheidsmodelle in verhouding tot mekaar staan. Die raamwerk kan in verskeie maniere gebruik word. Eerstens kan dit gebruik word om 'n aanvangsbesigheid stap-vir-stap volgens die verskillende vlakke in die raamwerk te bou. Tweedens kan dit gebruik word om 'n beslaande besigheid te evalueer. Elke deel van die besigheid kan beoordeel word en so bepaal of die nodige strukture in plek is. Derdens kan dit gebruik word om 'n omkeer op 'n sukkelende besigheid te doen. Om dit te doen sal beteken om eerstens 'n evaluasie te doen op grond van die raamwerk en dan die nodige strukture te bou of herbou. Om die proses van bou en herbou te ondersteun stel die studie werksblaaie voor wat gebruik kan word. Die doel hiervan is om die entrepreneur se denke deur die belangrlkste stappe te lei. Om die bogenoemde aanvaarding te toets dat die raamwerk gebruik kan word om die bou van 'n besigheidstruktuur te ondersteun, was 'n klein besigheid geselekteer en ge-evalueer. Die evaluasie was gedoen in die vorm van 'n onderhoud met die eienaars en die struktuur van die raamwerk was gebruik. Die navorsingsverslag word afgesluit met aanbevelings oor areas wat verdere ondersoek nodig het. Die werksblaaie en riglyne aanbeveling is dat die werksblaaie en riglyne vir 'n spesifieke doel ontwerp word, byvoorbeeld die ontwerp van 'n nuwe winkel of die evaluasie van 'n bestaande winkel. Die aanwendingsaanbeveling is om 'n evalueeringstelsel te ontwikkel waar 'n evaluasie gegrond op 'n entrepreneur se aanvoeling kan plaasvind. Die struktuuraanbevelings is om eerstens strategiese kaartering te ondersoek om die resultate van die ontwerp of evaluasie in 'n bestaande model op te som. Die tweede aanbeveling is om die ontwikkeling van die verskikkelende entiteite van die raamwerk in Iyn met die besigheidslewensiklus te ondersoek en sodoende 'n diepte dimensie by die raamwerk te voeg.

Under 1990-talet kom Kaplan och Norton fram med styrningsfilosofin balanserat styrkort som innebär att managers uppmanas att inte enbart ta hänsyn till finansiella mått utan bör använda sig av både finansiella och icke-finansiella mått för att kunna styra företag. Det här konceptet med balanserat styrkort har sedan det togs fram utvecklas och i början av 2000-talet finns den tredje versionen av balanserat styrkort som tillsammans med avancerad teknologi bildar konceptet business performance management. Det innebär att den information som ligger till grund för de rapporter som består av finansiella och icke-finansiella mått hämtas från en central databas i det verksamhetsöverskridande business performance management systemet. En anledning till det är att business performance management knyter samman balanserat styrkort med avancerad teknologi som möjliggör att managers därmed har möjlighet att få tillgång till en gemensam version av verkligheten, det vill säga en gemensam mental bild hur företaget presterar. Dessutom möjliggör den avancerade teknologin att managers oavsett om beslut tas som är strategiska, taktiska eller operativa att de har tillgång till den information som beslutsunderlagen baseras på i rätt tid.

Den information som beslutsunderlagen baseras på måste bestå av en tillfredställande god kvalitet för att möjliggöra att managers tar korrekta och optimala beslut. Det är därför av väsentlig betydelse att kvaliteten hos beslutsunderlagen håller en tillfredställande god kvalitet för att undanröja risken att managers inte tar otillfredsställande beslut som sedan innebär onödiga kostnader för företaget. Dessutom möjliggör en tillfredställande god kvalitet hos informationen som beslutsunderlagen baseras på att företagets managers kan ta beslut som leder till att de kan agera mot förändringar som sker i den omgivande företagskontexten. Att förbättra kvaliteten hos den information som ligger till grund för beslutsunderlagen behöver därmed vara något som företag prioriterar så att informationen håller en tillfredställande god kvalitet. Kvalitetsledningsfilosofin total quality management (TQM) har i denna studie används för att ta reda på hur informationskvaliteten hos beslutsunderlagen som tas fram via business performance management kan förbättras. Total quality management tar ett verksamhetsövergripande grepp om hur kvaliteten kan förbättras inom företag.

Företag prioriterar ofta inte att förbättra kvaliteten hos den information som de har till sitt förfogande för att ta beslut utan utgår ofta från att informationen är korrekt och om den inte är det så har något fundamentalt fel inträffat. Det leder till att företag ofta i de projekt som de utför förbiser vilken kvalitet informationen har utan använder sina resurser till andra arbetsuppgifter. För att kunna förbättra informationskvaliteten hos beslutsunderlagen behöver kvalitetsförbättringar bli ett prioriterat område inom företag. Företag har större möjlighet att uppnå en tillfredställande god kvalitet hos beslutsunderlagen om företagsledningen tillsätter en kvalitetsansvarig. Den person som blir kvalitetsansvarig tar tag i de stridigheter som behövs för att få tillgång till de nödvändiga resurserna. Denna person stödjer även de projektgrupper som arbetar med att förbättra informationskvaliteten. Det förutsätter att den kvalitetsansvarige har mandat att ta de nödvändiga besluten för att kunna förbättra kvaliteten hos beslutsunderlagen.

During the century of 1990 come Kaplan and Norton with the balance scorecard philosophy. The purpose of this philosophy is to encourage managers to not only take consideration in financial measurements, but also to use both financial and non-financial measurement to manage companies. This concept with balanced scorecard have developed since it's beginning and in the beginning of the 21st century the third version of balanced scorecard developed with advanced technology which established the concept business performance management. This means that the information that the reports builds on have both financial and non-financial measurement which are collected from a central database in the company´s overall business performance management system. One reason to why business performance management ties balanced scorecard with advanced technology is to give managers possibilities to get a common version of reality, this means a common mental picture of how the company performs. Besides the advanced technology render possibilities that give managers, regardless if the decision has been taken at strategic, tactic or operative level, access to information that basic data for decision-making is based on in right time.

The information that basic data for decision-making is based on must have a satisfied good quality to enable managers to take correct and optimal decision. It is therefore important that the quality of basic data for decision-making holds a satisfied good quality to remove the risk that managers is taking non-satisfactory decisions that means unnecessary costs for the company. Besides enable a satisfied good quality of the information, which basic data for decision-making is based on, so that managers at companies can take decision that leads them to take action against changes around the company's context. To improve the information quality that basic data for decision-making is based on should be something that companies prioritize so that information holds a satisfied good quality. The quality management philosophy total quality management (TQM) has in this study been used to investigate how information quality in basic data for decision-making can be improved. Total quality management gives a company an overall view of how the quality can be improved in the company.

The companies not often prioritize improvement of the information quality that they have to their disposal for taking decision, instead they often assume that information is correct and if it is not there it has occurred a fundamental mistake. This leads to that the companies often in their projects overlook witch quality the information has and use their resources to others working tasks.  Too improve the information quality at basic data for decision-making needs quality improvement be a prioritized area within the companies. Companies have more possibilities to reach a satisfied good quality at the basic data for decision-making if the company management adds a person that is responsible for the quality. The person that will be responsible for the quality takes the necessary fights to get access to the necessary resources. This person even supports the project groups that work with improvement of information quality. To have responsibility for the quality this person has mandate to take the necessary decisions to improve the quality of the basic data for decision-making.

Whatever uncertainties and complexities the future might hold, companies will be faced with a dynamic environment and will have to cope with the resulting challenges through strategy management. The objective of work presented in this thesis is to develop a better understanding of the effect of a business process based approach to strategy management. This understanding adopts a business process perspective and extends the design view to integrate financial and operational performance measures by embracing the organisation as the unit of analysis. The work presented in this research, following an in-depth review of literature, developed a set of requirements for a Dynamic Strategy Management Process. These requirements suggest that strategy management is viewed as a business process. The research continued by critically evaluating the existing strategy management frameworks, models, methodologies, tools and techniques, which have been classified according to their scope. This rev iew concluded that although approaches reviewed collectively met all the requirements, individually none of the approaches fulfilled all of these requirements. Hence, to fulfil these requirements, PROPHESY (Process Oriented Performance Headed Strategy) was developed which is documented in detail in a workbook format. PROPHESY process was tested using two alternative approaches: The broad approach was conducted using a structured and close-ended questionnaire as well as holding workshops with a total of forty managers. Narrow approach was conducted through implementation of the PROPHESY in case studies with four manufacturing companies. All feedback from these participants was used as a basis for improving the process. The research concludes with interesting observations on the positive impact of business process based strategy management approach. It also concludes that operations strategy should focus on creating value that is independent for each business unit. This means developing horizontal strategies that have objectives of coordinating business processes and developing objectives that encourage the sharing of resources and skills.

The thesis seeks to offer knowledge and insight into management and business in the South American state of Venezuela. We have been at pains to context this characterization; so the thesis begins with sections devoted to the history, society and economy of Venezuela and seeks to emphasize factors which have served to shape business practice and values. This is followed by presenting the results of the first episode of field work, interviews carried out in Germany with managers having business and management experience in Venezuela this material being used to form a preliminary characterization. This concludes Part I of the thesis. In Part II the results of quite extensivef ieldwork on Venezuelai tself are presented.T his fieldwork was in the form of numerous company visits and executive interviews, supplementedb y periods spent as an observeri n one or two Venezuelano rganizations and by interviews with others having relevant knowledge of business practice in Venezuela, for example, consultants and management educators. The discussion illuminates some key features including personalism, the importance of social networks, the emphasis on the human aspects of management, and the expectation of employees that bosses will be both decisive and paternal. We also highlight factors that have tended to restrain entrepreneurialism and management proactivity, including the effects of oil wealth.

Over the years Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) has gained momentum and is becoming the standard for providing systematic business solutions. Likewise, the requirements for identifying business services are fast changing and a solution to the service identification problem needs a robust approach. It is known that this task of identifying candidate services is the first and the most important step in developing service-oriented business systems. The recent approaches of identifying candidate services have some shortcomings (defined data type size, unrepeatable approach, inapplicable to all enterprise information system and unadaptable to business factor change). Some approaches focus on fixed cases or certain types of organizations (single or collaborating organizations) neglecting the enterprise systems which are either (open or closed) single or collaborating enterprise information system, which makes some past approaches not applicable to some real-life business cases. This thesis focuses on solving the headline issues and introduces a new approach for service identification applicable to different organization’s business processes. The thesis also proposes a new step-by-step algorithm and methodology that identify business services derived from data-set from any given business case.

Thesis (S.B. and M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1999.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-90).
by Joyce P. Lo.
S.B.and M.Eng.

Small business owners face challenges associated with leading change, and many times lack the necessary resources to manage it properly. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to determine what challenges leaders of small businesses face in managing change, what strategies and practices those leaders employ, and how the leaders of small businesses measure success in managing change. This study also determined what advice leaders of small businesses would suggest for managing change. Four research questions were created to assist with this process, and 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted in various cities throughout the state of Michigan. The participants were small business owners of privately held American companies that had been in business for a minimum of 5 years. Twelve interview questions were asked to answer the 4 research questions. Many themes emerged. Some of the challenges that participants face while managing change are resistance to change, communication issues, lack of confidence, lack of resources, lack of knowledge/experience, absence of strategy, conflicts of interest, and lack of emotional intelligence. The participants shared many different strategies for successful management of change and also offered their lessons learned over the years. The main overall theme presented by all of the participants in this study was the importance of knowledge and experience for management of change in small businesses.

The article is about creative management in modern business conditions. In modern conditions, creativity and its factors are the determinants of successful managerial activity, as they contribute to the rapid adoption of decisions, the development of original strategies, the introduction of innovations and the realization of other significant managerial functions.

The goal of this paper is to describe process management and a possibility of its implementation in the real medical organization. The first part is devoted to a description of the basic concepts, principles, definitions and procedures of process management, which form the paradigm. The second part deals with the application of process management in the real dental clinic and presents an analysis of the current state and its improvement recommendations, conceptual and process modeling, description of basic levels of medical information systems and recommends criteria for information system selection. Diagrams are created in programs PowerDesigner and Cacoo.com are also included in this paper.

Purpose - The purpose of this thesis is to advance the understanding of risk exposure and management for different roles in business ecosystems. The following research questions have been derived to fulfill this purpose: RQ1: Which risks are different business ecosystem roles exposed to, and in what way? RQ2: How can business ecosystem actors mitigate risks? Method – A single case study has been conducted on a business ecosystem surrounding the development of autonomous cars in the EU. An abductive and qualitative approach has been applied, which allowed the combination of existing literature and new empirical findings as to the foundation for building new theory. Data was collected through 21 semi-structured interviews and analyzed through comparison between codes on risks, roles, and risk mitigation strategies. Findings – The already existing literature on business ecosystem risks was confirmed and nuanced. On top of this, two new risks were found, disintermediation risk (the risk of being fully or partially excluded from the ecosystem) and accountability risk (the risk of being responsible for other business ecosystem actors output to a third party). The findings also declare that risks vary between actors, but also due to other factors such as investment in the ecosystem and an actor's relative size to other actors. Finally, suggested risk response strategies for each risk were derived. Theoretical implications - We have contributed to the literature on risks within business ecosystems by adding two new risks: disintermediation risk and accountability risk. We have also contributed to the overall literature on business ecosystems by combining the two sub-streams risks in business ecosystems and roles in business ecosystems. In addition to the theoretical implications for the business ecosystem literature, we have contributed to the risk management literature by applying it in the new context of business ecosystemsto extend the applicability of the risk management literature. Practical implications - Our findings shed light on how risks are distributed between different roles and can therefore provide guidance in this issue. The current study also contributes to the understanding of how risks vary with respect to other factors than roles, which could be valuable knowledge for managers. Finally, practical guidance on how risks can be mitigated is presented which is valuable for any actor in a Business ecosystem.

This research contributes a formal framework to evaluate whether existing CMFs can model and reason about various types of normative requirements. The framework can be used to determine the level of coverage of concepts provided by CMFs, establish mappings between CMF languages and the semantics for the normative concepts and evaluate the suitability of a CMF for issuing a certification of compliance. The developed framework is independent of any specific formalism and it has been formally defined and validated through the examples of such mappings of CMFs.

As the baby boom generation approaches and enters traditional retirement ages, the owners of small professional service firms are being inundated with advice concerning how to implement a business succession plan. While much of the advice may be valuable and sound, a significant portion of this advice appears to be derived from a one-size-fits-all approach that ignores, or fails to address, the needs, desires, and personal characteristics of the business owner. Small business succession planning advice often involves growing the business into a self-perpetuating organism. However, many small business owners may not want to do what is necessary to manage a business for optimum succession planning. The researcher used a quantitative research methodology to identify antecedents to business succession planning in small, relationship-dependent service businesses. The research combines concepts from the Theory of Planned Behavior and from the family business succession planning literature to identify potential owner characteristic and situational antecedents to business succession planning. The study focused on a sample population of owners of small financial-services businesses affiliated with one broker-dealer. Most of the sample population offers tax and accounting services in addition to their financial services. The population is in the business of planning for their customers but to a large extent neglect or choose not to plan for their own ultimate exit from the business. While business owners face many choices and obstacles in preparing their firms for their eventual exit, this study indicates that the decision to pursue business succession planning by the owners of small, relationship-dependent service businesses is overwhelmingly driven by the business owners’ perception of the availability of a qualified successor. Thus the decision to pursue business succession planning by this sample population is more likely to be a reaction to circumstances than a proactive choice driving the owners’ business decisions.

COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOR
A empresa familiar em seu desenvolvimento passa por fases em que seus pressupostos culturais são postos a prova por seu próprio crescimento, pela adição de novos profissionais e o desenvolvimento de subculturas. Essa é a premissa deste trabalho onde o gerenciamento cultural do crescimento de uma empresa familiar será estudado.Para tanto foi utilizado o método de estudo de caso: a análise da rede de salões de beleza Beleza Natural e com base na tipologia de Schein (2004), observação participante e entrevistas.Concluiu-se que a migração de uma organização familiar e carismática para um modelo supostamente meritocrático e racionalista apresenta riscos que devem ser considerados mais atentamente pela organização. Aponta também para a centralidade das questões de governança organizacional e regulação familiar como requisitos para o sucesso desta transição.
The family business organization development challenges the previously cultural assumptions. This is caused by the addition of new employees and the changes in business environment experimented by the organization during its growth. This is the focus of the present dissertation. It was used a case study methodology: The Beleza Natural beauty salons and according with Scheins ´s (2004) methodology, interviews and active observation. The conclusion shows the risks of the transformation of one family business organization towards a meritocratic and rationalistic organization. It highlights the importance of corporate governance and the regulation of family´ s professional relationship as a key to the transition success.

Business-to-business (B2B) marketing involves several components including the marketing management decision-making process and the buying behaviors of the B2B clientele and the end users. Disregarding customer knowledge management (CKM) and inaccurate analysis of data cost companies billions of dollars per year. The objective of this exploratory single-case study was to develop an in-depth analysis of the problem that some marketing managers have limited knowledge of how to use CKM strategies to improve B2B customer engagement. The dynamic capabilities and technological opportunism theories comprised the study’s conceptual framework. Data collection consisted of participant observations, member checking, and semistructured interviews with 4 Dallas-based, managers at various levels of responsibility within a single B2B company. The data analysis entailed using an adaptation of Giorgi’s systematic text condensation and inductive coding techniques of reoccurring themes. The themes that emerged indicated a need to improve marketing strategies. These themes included developing a division wide marketing plan, devising a CKM tool, and initiating organization wide CKM protocols and training. Beneficiaries of this research are marketing managers, marketing practitioners, organizational strategy and policy makers, and students of business administration. Implications for social change include specifying the strategies that business leaders need to improve sustainability.

Thesis (PhD (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
Since relationship marketing re-emerged as an approach to marketing, the concept was met with a great deal of interest. This interest resulted in relationship marketing being researched extensively, whilst businesses started to look for ways to build relationships with their clients. Relationships with clients can, however, only be managed if the dimensions contributing to the relationship are adequately identified. From an academic viewpoint, once all the relevant dimensions have been identified, these dimensions can be used to construct a model that can guide the management of long-term marketing relationships. The aim of this study was to identify the dimensions that are important when longterm marketing relationships in business-to-business (B2B) financial services are managed. The study started with a comprehensive review of the marketing literature. The literature review was followed by two empirical studies. The first empirical study was conducted among relationship managers, while the second empirical study focused on both the relationship managers and clients of a leading South African financial services provider. Both the relationship managers as well as the clients were part of the afore-mentioned financial services provider’s B2B domain. Phase 1 of the empirical research (the exploratory study) focused on an assessment of the perceptions of 75 relationship managers in respect of the importance of a number of pre-determined dimensions. A web-based approach was used and a questionnaire was developed according to the requirements of the Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP) method. Based on the literature review and the results of the exploratory study, a set of 11 dimensions emerged as important for the management of long-term relationships in B2B financial services. The second phase of the empirical research focused on the perceptions of both relationship managers (the relationship manager sample) and B2B clients (the client sample). In the case of the relationship manager sample, a web-based questionnaire was sent to 300 relationship managers, while 400 clients participated in the client study. Relationship manager data were analysed by means of regression analysis whereas the client data were analysed with the aid of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The LISREL 8.80 software program was used to fit both the measurement model and the SEM model. The results of the study confirmed the important roles of especially trust and commitment on a person’s intention to stay in a relationship. Furthermore, the study found that relationship managers and clients appear to view the process of relationship management as an intricate process. Although relationship managers and clients differ on the importance of some of the further dimensions, agreement existed for the importance of especially satisfaction and communication. It was also found that relationship managers appear to over-estimate their performance levels on some of the identified dimensions. The uniqueness of the study lies in the simultaneous consideration of the perceptions of both relationship managers and clients. The most important contribution of the study is the construction of a model through which long-term marketing relationships in the B2B financial services industry can be managed.

Includes bibliographical references.
Most of today's knowledge of Business-to-Business marketing is grounded on studies conducted in so-called western countries. Recently some researchers have started to question the validity of concepts, ideas and measures conceived in developed markets to explain business marketing phenomena in non-western contexts. Moreover research has attributed this gap in the literature on the relative absence of Business-to-Business marketing research from emerging, non-western countries (see, for example, Biggemann and Fam, 2011.) In emerging markets firms also operate in large networks that contains multiple, complex, direct and indirect business relationships among buyers and sellers. The thesis draws on four different empirical studies to integrate key sets of knowledge spawned from the realms of the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing group (IMP) to observe Business-to-Business relationships in a South African context.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
In project management, stakeholders are key to ensuring the success of a project. However, research has found that not enough attention is given to the needs and influence of stakeholders. In the search of a holistic approach to stakeholder management, very few recommendations could be found in literature. The purpose of this research is to search for key elements in literature that can be used in the development of a generic model that guides the user in the process of stakeholder management in projects. Through the investigation of peer reviewed journal articles, a model was developed that can be used to manage a project’s stakeholders. A six-step model was developed, encompassing the identification, analysis, prioritisation, engagement, communication and review of stakeholder. The review step in the process is not a step that is performed in isolation, but is rather a review of the five previous steps. The review of stakeholders will be conducted when the project enters a new phase, at specific intervals or when a trigger event occurs. It is the finding of this investigation that enough research has been conducted within the stakeholder milieu to compile a holistic, generic stakeholder management model.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The goal of this research report is to provide a comprehensive overview of the new business potential that arises from the convergence of two of the fastest growing industries worldwide, namely the Internet and mobile communications. Most experts agree that this emerging mobile business market has great revenue potential. However, the initial market development has generally been very disappointing, because most service providers have not found ways to satisfy customer needs in this young, dynamic market. Since academic sources and best practices are rare in this new business environment. this study attempts to offer the necessary background and a sound decision base for successfully mastering the inherent challenges in this area. It focuses on mobile services to private customers. While concentrating on Western Europe, it nevertheless follows a global approach, which makes its results applicable to other industrialised world regions. After the possibilities of the enabling technologies are explored, the m-business market is analysed and the mobile service spectrum comprehensively evaluated. Furthermore, the requirements for customer acceptance and a mass-market breakthrough are determined, enriched by up-to-date findings of the writer's own market research. Mobile network operators are clearly dominating the m-business market, and their general misuse of power prevents the creation of fertile ground for a compelling mobile service spectrum. The clearly leading Japanese mobile service market is proof of bow cooperation and concentration on core competencies can create conditions for a fast market take-off, that benefits not only all value chain players, but especially the operators. It is crucial for the creation of successful mobile business applications to avoid the significant weaknesses of enabling technologies. Instead, mobile service providers need to use the valueadded characteristics in an optimal way. To continue merely to transfer offerings of the stationary Internet to the mobile medium will surely not suffice, since this only makes the limitations of the mobile technologies much more evident. Thus, in order to minimise these insufficiencies, the value-added characteristics of mobile technologies need to be exploited as intensively as possible. This means delivering highly time- and location-specific services that are simple and personalised. Even without considering the greatly inhibiting international roaming barriers, this can be done optimally in home networks. This strongly supports a mobile service development on national level. Overall, the focus must be on delivering what customers want, when they want it, at a cost that represents real value to the customer.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel met hierdie navorsingsverslag is om 'n omvattende oorsig te verskaf van die nuwe sakepotensiaai wat ontstaan uit die sameloop van twee van die wereld se snelgroeiendste industriee, naamlik die Internet en mobiele kommunikasie. Die meeste deskundiges is dit eens dat hierdie ontluikende mobiele besigheidsmark enorme inkomste-potensiaal bied. Aanvanklike markontwikkeling was egter tot dusver oor die algemeen uiters teleurstellend omdat die meerderheid diensvoorsieners nog nie metodes gevind het om die behoeftes van kliente in hierdie jong, dinamiese mark voldoende aan te spreek rue. Aangesien akademiese bronne en beproefde gebruike in die nuwe sake-omgewing maar skraps is, trag hierdie studie om die nodige agtergrond en 'n soliede besluitnemingsbasis te bied sodat die inherente uitdagings op die terrein suksesvol onder die knie gekry kan word. Hierdie studie fokus op mobiele dienste aan private kliente. Hoewel daar op Wes-Europa gekonsentreer word, word nietemin 'n globale benadering gevolg wat meebring dat die studie se resultate ook op ander geindustrialiseerde wereldstreke toepaslik is. Nadat die moontlikhede van die hulp-tegnologiee uiteengesit is, word die m-besigheidsmark geanaliseer en die mobiele dienssprektrum volledig geevalueer. Vervolgens word die vereistes vir klientaanvaarding en 'n omvangryke mark-deurbraak vasgestel en dan verryk deur bevindinge uit die skrywer se eie marknavorsing tot nou toe. Klaarblyklik oorheers mobiele netwerk-operateurs die m-besigbeidsmark en hulle algemene misbruik van mag verhoed dat 'n vrugbare teelaarde vir 'n noodsaaklike mobiele diensspektrum ontstaan. Die duidelik leidende Japanse mobiele diensmark bewys hoe samewerking en klem op kernbevoegdhede toestande kan skep vir 'n snelle markopswaai, wat nie net alle waardekettingspelers nie, maar veral ook die operateurs bevoordeel. Dit is deurslaggewend vir die skep van geslaagde mobiele besigbeidstoepassings dat die veelseggende swakhede van hulp-tegnologiee vermy word. Mobiele diensvoorsieners moet eerder die waardetoegevoegde eienskappe op gunstige wyse aanwend. Om bloot voort te gaan met die oordrag van aanbiedinge van die statiese Internet na die mobiele medium sal sekerlik nie voldoende wees nie aangesien die beperkinge van die mobiele tegnologiee sodoende veel meer sigbaar gemaak word. Derhalwe is dit nodig om die waardetoegevoegde eienskappe van mobiele tegnologiee so intensief moontlik uit te buit ten einde hierdie gebreke te minimaliseer. Dit beteken dat persoonlike en ongekompliseerde dienste, wat hoogs tyd- en plek-gespesifiseerd is, voorsien moet word. Hierdie kan optimaal binne tuisnetwerke gedoen word sonder om eens die hoogs belemmerende internasionale swerfversperrings in ag te neem. 'n Mobiele diens-ontwikkeling op nasionale vlak word sterk hierdeur aanbeveel. In die geheel moet die fokus wees om aan kliente te verskaf wat hulle wil he, op 'n tydstip wanneer hulle dit verlang en teen koste wat absolute waarde aan hulle bied.

It is current phenomena that business environment has changed and has set new requirements for companies. Companies must adapt to the changes comes from outside its normal business environment and take into consideration wider business environment where it operates. These changes also have set new demands for company business model. Companies Business models need to be changed to match state of art business environment and requirements. Business models can be competitive advantage to the companies. This study report will demonstrate how company could take environmental aspect into account while transforming its business model into new one. Research is aiming to new theory-building. Through the literature reviews of two main topics, Business Ecosystems and Business models, and through reflecting theory into case company presentation, this study report gives answer to research question, “Through what kind of process mature company can transform business model in the context of business ecosystem?” Business ecosystem will present the business environment where business models come into reality. Another assumption is that transformation can be done through well-designed process. Research provides transformation process which can be used as a baseline if company is planning to transform its current business model into new one. It can help company managers and strategist to plan, implement and transform business model. Research gives good contribution to the research field as it is not widely research topic. It also gives good suggestion for future research topics.

Lookism is discrimination based on physical appearance. The word ‘Lookism’ is widely used to express unfairness of the reality that good--‐looking people generally receive higher wages and better evaluations. This paper explores Lookism in South Korean business society. First, reasons for extreme Lookism in the country’s business world are analyzed. After the analysis, negative effects of Lookism in society in the present and in the future are explained. The paper concludes with explanation of the role of business management to eliminate Lookism in Korean business society and the importance of business management to develop the country’s business by reducing Lookism.